


Frozen Heart

by TwilightMaster15



Series: Death Note Children Movie AUs [1]
Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Frozen (Disney Movies) Fusion, Crack Treated Seriously, Frozen AU, M/M, lost a bet so now I'm writing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21678871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightMaster15/pseuds/TwilightMaster15
Summary: When Light touched the Death Note upon Higuchi's capture, Ryuk decided to place an ancient curse upon Light to make things more interesting. Instead of regaining his memories, Light has the Shinigami eyes and can kill anyone in an assortment of ways with no more than a hand gesture.When this power is revealed at a party to celebrate the defeat of Kira, Light runs into the mountains. With Japan and very quickly the entire world dropping dead from a mystery plague involving freezing of the heart, L joins forces with Misa Amane and the Shinigami, Rem, to find Light before the SPK, the mafia, or the Kira worshippers do.
Relationships: L/Yagami Light
Series: Death Note Children Movie AUs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629913
Comments: 15
Kudos: 79





	1. Do You Wanna Catch a Killer?

Light laid in bed in the task force building, looking at his hands. Was it possible? Was it possible touching the Death Note had—

Let's rewind. Turn back the clock by twenty-four hours.

The Japanese Kira Task Force had captured Higuchi and retrieved his Death Note. Light had held that Death Note, but... he felt very weird after touching it, getting a bit of a headache, and his eyes burned like holy hell. And he had heard masculine laughter all around him, and he hadn't had the slightest idea why.

When Light had opened his eyes, he could see everyone's name and lifespan above their head. He didn't know how he could do this. Was this how Kira killed? Seeing people's names. He could even see L's name. L Lawliet. Who in their right mind names their child L? Light had been expecting something like Lawrence as L's name, not just the letter itself.

But that wasn't the only thing. Higuchi had died, and he had only made a vague hand gesture, and the man was dead instantly. L had seen it but hadn't seemed to come to the conclusion that Light had.

To test it, once he was free of the handcuffs, Light sat down in front of the television and made the same hand gestures at the TV. The people on the screen at the time died.

It was a terrible idea for the last test, but he took a walk, did some research on criminals, and made a note to walk past some, waving his hand, and that person dropped dead. 

So now, he was sure. Whatever had happened had given him the power to kill, no notebook required.

He was shocked when Rem the Shinigami came in while he was crying on the bed, horrified he had somehow become the Kira that L thought him to be.

"Light Yagami, it has come to my attention a colleague of mine may have placed a curse upon you out of boredom." 

Light looked up, "Huh?"

...

Rem knew what Ryuk had done, and she was not happy about it, especially seeing how innocent the boy had become. This was either going to traumatize him, or he'd become Kira all on his own again, or he'd get his memory back while remembering he wanted to kill L, and might go on a rampage. Even if human life had no value to Shinigami—with Misa being the exception—giving a human the power to kill with just a gesture was cruel. But at least the Shinigami eyes here were just a side effect and didn't take away from the boy's lifespan.

However, yes, if Ryuk was going to use humans as his own personal Netflix, this was one way to do it.

So she decided not to tell Light about his past Kira life since Ryuk's unexpected influence had led to Light getting these powers instead of recovering his memories. To regain his past, Light would have to touch the same notebook he had initially found.

Even better, she decided Light was a healthier partner for Misa if he wasn't a homicidal maniac, so she came up with a plan to have Light take time to control his powers and try not using them. Then everything would be close to normal, and Ryuk left unsatisfied.

"These gloves will help," she gave Light a pair of decorative red gloves with little designs on them, "Conceal your power by keeping a tight grip on your emotions."

Light looked down at his now-gloved hands, "Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show. I'm not a killer." He nodded to himself, "Okay."

OoOoO

L had found himself rather unhappy. 

Light had locked himself in his room, destroyed the cameras, and refused to come out. Since Light didn't have the Death Note, it wasn't like he was doing anything suspicious in there, so maybe he just wasn't a fan of cameras watching him. That was reasonable.

But the thing that worried everyone was that Light never left his room. Didn't let anyone in either. Rem had taken to bringing Light food by phasing through the door, and she didn't give any hints about what was wrong.

With Higuchi dead, the Kira killings had stopped not long after, after seeming to have gotten the last couple of deaths out of its system which had been planned far in advance. It had been two weeks, and no new criminals were dying. This should have been good because Light and Misa were proven innocent with the thirteen-day rule.

But now L was without any cases—he'd decided to stay in Japan since he'd had a colossal skyscraper built, so he might as well stay here as his residence and just travel for cases—so he decided to work on smaller mysteries.

But he also missed Light. Maybe he too was bored?

He walked to Light's door and knocked rhythmically,

"Do you want to catch a killer? I never see you anymore, I wish you'd tell someone why." He didn't get a response, so he tried a different idea, "It doesn't have to be a killer. There are other cases."

"Go away, Ryuzaki." He heard from the other side of the door, and bowed his head, feeling more than a little hurt.

"Okay, bye."

3 months later

L decided to try again since he was apprehensive about Light. His family was desperate to get him out of the room, but he never did. Misa couldn't get him out either. Rem brought him food, and that was it. A small part of L wanted to be cruel and shut the water off in that room or not let Rem bring Light food, so he would have to come out, but morals had said that was a bad idea.

"Do you want to catch a killer? If you're nervous about the other task force members, they returned to their lives two months ago. Your sister really misses you." Silence, and he found himself still talking, "There's supposed to be a worldwide party about the defeat of Kira. I bet it will be beautiful. I'm even planning on going—obviously not as L... Still, I'm sure the cake will be amazing...the entire task force is required to go, so you have no choice but to get out of your room..." he sighed when he didn't hear any response other than the television and left, fighting back the tears as he realized he might have lost his best friend.

...

"I'm scared!" Light said to Rem, "It's getting stronger!" He looked at his hands and how his powers had evolved into killing in more ways than just heart attacks. He could burn people alive and freeze people from the inside out and all sorts of crazy methods. It was getting harder and harder to hide the fact that Kira still was out there.

He heard L explaining about the party, and Light really wanted to go, just to have a good time like someone his age should be. But he knew he was too dangerous.

6 months later

L sobbed against Light's door, having just gotten back from Watari's funeral. The only man who would take in a strange little boy and love and raise him was gone. His _father_ was gone, and now L was all alone in the world, with Light being the only one who he had left in this building. He used to enjoy being alone, but that was when he had the option to talk to Watari whenever he wanted.

"Light... please... I know you're in there. People have stopped asking where you've been. They say I should have courage...and I'm trying to, just please, Light. We only have each other in this building, only you and me. What are we going to do?" He was pretty sure he heard things, but he thought he heard Light say,

"Do you wanna catch a killer?"


	2. Dangerous to Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since we know there's no way in hell First Time in Forever can happen with L as kinda Anna

Three months passed, and the day of the Kira celebration had arrived. Now, L was only going for the cake and wanted to avoid as many humans as possible, but this was also the day Light had no choice but to leave his room. So, in desperate need of a good case and genuinely curious about what caused Light to be so reclusive, he decided to spend the party investigating the young man and figure out what drove him to hide.

It had been strange. L wasn't entirely over his grief over Watari, but it was just a lingering thing in the back of his mind now, no longer actively bothering him. But that didn't change how weird it was to have an entire skyscraper to himself with nobody else in it when he was used to staying in a hotel room.

L did decide that, no matter how formal the party, he was still going to wear his usual white shirt and jeans. But seeing as the celebration was outside, he had no choice but to wear shoes for a little bit.

He frowned just outside Light's door, not bothering to knock and instead just shouting, "Light! Ten minutes!" 

...

Light looked down at his formal attire, the red suit complimenting his gloves, looking at the photo of his family, gifted to him by his mother, so he knew they were still with him, even if he was having trouble. It was lonely and tedious, being alone in this room with only Rem as an occasional company. He heard L asking from time to time if he wanted to solve cases, and he wanted to. It would be much more interesting, but then he would be reminded of his curse and knew the world needed L. The detective couldn't risk his life by being near him.

"I can't be what you expect of me..." he held the photo of his family. What did his father think of him? Abandoning his future and locking himself in a room, never once emerging, "But I'm trying every day with all I do, and do not say." L had told him that Light may be named an official detective, regardless of his young age, at this celebration. If this news had been a year ago, he would have been thrilled, since that was all he ever wanted, but not anymore. Not when he was like this.

_I know everything in my whole life has lead to this. Calm down, Light. Close the walls, put up your guard. I practice every single day for this... So why is it so hard?_

He sat with his back against the door, a small part of him wishing L was still there and listening. He wanted help, but what would L think?

"Ryuzaki, I wish I could tell you the truth, and show you who's behind the door. But... you don't understand. We're different, you and I, and it's dangerous to dream."

"Light," he gasped when he heard L's voice, "Are you okay? It's time to go." He jolted when he saw the doorknob rattle,

Light took a deep breath, checking to make sure his gloves were still on, "Conceal... Don't feel..." he whispered, "Conceal... Don't feel...Conceal... Don't feel..." He threw open the door and laid eyes on L for the first time in a year, trying to fight back a cringe when he saw that name and lifespan floating above his friend's head.

...

L took this moment to take in Light's features and find something, anything, that would explain everything. Light was thinner than he was a year ago, and his hair was longer, now reaching his shoulders—and nobody could deny Light was able to rock the long hair.

He did notice Light was wearing gloves. Sure, it was autumn, so it was a little chilly, but gloves? They did look almost like maybe it came with the outfit, but that just didn't sit right with L. He made a note to pay close attention to what Light did with his hands during the party.

"Ryuzaki..." L saw the moment Light had fully put on his friendly mask, "It's good to see you."

"I agree. For having not left your room once, you're doing quite well." He gestured for Light to follow, "Come along, we should get going if we want to be on time unless fashionably late is what you're looking for."

"I don't really care. How long is the party supposed to last?"

"I would assume until sunrise. Do you need to be home by midnight?" This was a small attempt at humor, but also fishing for a reaction from Light that could hint at what changed.

What he did know was something had changed in that cell over a year ago, and Light became much more... innocent. Going from stoic to wide-eyed and kittenish in two seconds. Then something had shifted again in the helicopter when Light had touched the Death Note. But what was that thing? Light wasn't trying to get the notebook, if anything, even in the day before shutting himself in, he had avoided the book like the plague.

Even now, a mask put up as they got in the helicopter, L could see Light was scared of something. And he kept fidgeting with his hands, putting them in his pocket, moving them, and it didn't take a genius to see he was trying as hard as he could to pretend he was happy.

He had thought of hundreds of possibilities for Light's sudden changes in the last year, but it was difficult to discern which one was right without seeing Light's behavior.

Light didn't seem the type to have social anxiety unless he had been hiding that too. L supposed that if Light _did_ have a fear of being around people for too long—something L could relate to—he might just be drained and tired of pretending after being handcuffed to L for three months.

During the Kira investigation, L had toyed with the idea of Light having a sort of personality disorder—usually thinking along the lines of APD, aka sociopathy. Maybe he had been right? He had spoken to Light's family, and they all agreed he did spend a lot of time alone in his room. Perhaps Light had needed constant breaks from human interaction, and the continuous surveillance and being handcuffed to another human had driven him into desperately needing to be isolated.

"Light, what are your thoughts about being around people for too long? Even just one person."

Light seemed taken aback, "I... I don't really know. A lot of people like me, but I usually liked being left alone to study. I can handle it, I just wouldn't call it fun. Misa is _a lot_."

Maybe Misa was the problem. In all honesty, L would not blame Light if he had shut himself in his room to avoid Misa—but that still didn't explain why he didn't come out when Misa was long gone unless he had feared a surprise attack from the model. He had said countless times that their relationship was one-sided. While L had knocked on Light's door maybe once or twice a month, usually when he was at his most vulnerable and wanted someone to talk to, Misa had been pressed against Light's door for two months straight, trying to get him out, until the task force convinced her that Light would come out in his own time.

But L was focusing on not crashing the helicopter, so he couldn't look Light in the eye to see if he was honest, but he could hear the nervousness.

For the most part, they sat in silence during the helicopter ride. Both men wanted to initiate a conversation, but what exactly does one say to the guy they haven't seen in a year?

The party itself was at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa. As L landed, he turned to Light with a smile,

"I hope this is the start of you coming out more often. People miss you."

Light hesitated, before muttering, "Maybe."

...

It was during the helicopter ride that Light came to a decision.

If he could survive tonight without losing control, not even killing a houseplant, things could change. He could open that door and spend more time with L like he so very much wanted to.

So now, determined, he sucked in a breath and walked into the party with L.


	3. The Party

The party was gorgeous, fit for royalty, but all Light really wanted to do was to lay low and avoid everyone who could trigger emotions, which could cause him to lose control. But he feared it wouldn't be possible if Misa suddenly jumped on him and he accidentally killed her from just being startled. This was why he hadn't even thought about cutting his hair—in hopes nobody would recognize him from behind.

And, from what he could tell, it was working remarkably well. Except for the tiny detail that he could feel L staring at him from behind. Deciding to be friendly, he grabbed some cake and handed it to the detective,

"Here, I know this is the only reason you came, Ryuzaki." Calling him by one of his aliases when knowing his real name was quite strange for Light, but seeing as he was getting a bit of a headache from all the names he saw right now, he didn't mind relying on familiarity. And the last thing he needed was for L to know that Light knew his real name.

"Light!" 

Hearing that voice, Light was swearing colorfully in his mind as Misa clung to him. 

"Conceal, don't feel. Don't feel." Light muttered to himself, trying to plaster on a smile as she started kissing him, and he prayed his power hadn't evolved into all forms of contact being deadly.

L watched him with a slight chuckle as Misa pulled him to dance,

"Light, I've missed you so much!" Misa cheered, "When did you get out of your room?"

"Today, and I'm going back in after the party." He yelped as she legit dipped him, 

"I don't want you to. Is L making you stay in there?"

"No, he's not. I'm just drained." He gasped as she bit his ear a little bit and whispered,

"Do you remember who you are?"

"What?" He stared at her in confusion, and she seemed shocked that he didn't recall what she wanted him to remember. But her demeanor returned to sweet as they danced, "Well, your family certainly misses you."

"So I've heard many times," Light muttered. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw L watching him. He instantly knew the detective was going to watch him all night to figure out what had changed. L couldn't find out the truth, Light refused to let that happen.

He dug through his memories for something, anything, that could be a cause of him isolating himself. 

He almost smirked as he remembered the fake execution. It had given him nightmares for months, even if he did his best to hide it from L. All he had to do now was act as though that experience had broken him. 

This meant being friendlier to Misa, so he became a little more active in the dance, letting himself relax now that he had a plan.

Once the song ended, Light went to get a drink and was suddenly pulled into a hug by Matsuda. Just Light's luck, the young officer had been talking to the entire task force.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm out of my room," Light muttered, a little annoyed with people stating the obvious. He forced himself to flashback to that evening in the car with his father pointing a gun at him, which made it easy to pretend to hide a flinch when his father tried to touch him.

He saw everyone was surprised by that, L most of all. Light played with a strand of his hair, laughing awkwardly, "Sorry, this is just a lot of human interaction, and I've gotten jump scared by Misa already."

But he could tell his plan had worked quite well. He didn't want his father to feel guilty, but it was either this or risk of people dying or finding out his secret, and that was something Light couldn't allow under any circumstances.

He looked around, "Where's Mogi?"

Aizawa shrugged, "He didn't want to come."

"But I thought the entire task force was required to come..." 

Matsuda chuckled, "That was a lie by me to get you out of that room."

Light gave Matsuda a glare that would have a sane man screaming for their mommy. Matsuda used all his willpower to not look, while Light was using his own willpower to not accidentally kill anyone.

...

L watched Light make small talk with the task force until suddenly Light grew cold. He'd probably found out the task force being required to attend the party was a lie.

But what interested him more was the way Light flinched when being touched by his father. It didn't take long to pinpoint a moment that could have sparked that.

Could the false execution really have been the moment Light snapped and desired isolation? L remembered how Light had begged. But he had convinced himself that Light had seen through it at some point since he was fine afterward. Had that been a mask?

That was undoubtedly milder of reasons for Light to lock himself up, but it did make sense, since being a detective like he had initially wanted would put him in the same place as his father, who traumatized him.

This also hurt L, seeing as that meant there was a 69% chance that had been the moment they stopped being friends, or at least the moment it was no longer genuine. But he found himself clinging to the hope their friendship had somehow still been real.

But if trauma was the reason for Light's isolation, that meant they shouldn't be just letting him hide away and instead force him back into society so he can get help.

And even then, L was not convinced that was the only reason. He knew Light occasionally had nightmares during their time handcuffed together, but the Light Yagami that L knew was proud and wouldn't _hide_ , no matter how bad it was. A small part of him wondered which of the many versions of Light he had seen throughout his time in Japan was the real one.

What he did know was that Light put up masks and a lot of them. There was a polite version for teachers and those above him. The sarcastic and somewhat aggressive Light that had no hesitation for calling people out and downright fighting with fists if it got bad enough. There was the scared and kittenish Light, supposedly used to gain pity from people and look as innocent as possible. And then there was the "Kira" persona as L called it, the one who knew he was better than everyone else and delighted in lying to their face to maintain the illusion of who he wanted that person to see. Later he would smirk maliciously when he thought nobody was looking.

 _That_ was who L had thought for the longest time was the real Light. But it almost seemed like that version of Light had died in the cell. In all honesty, L had half-expected Light to start cackling maniacally during the fake execution and reveal himself to be batshit insane. 

For the entire time that he was with Light during the Kira investigation, L had been waiting eagerly to see that dark side come out again. He didn't know why, maybe it was the fact he had never been wrong before, but he had wanted to see that side of Light again. But eventually, he had befriended the other versions of Light and became glad the evil one hadn't returned.

But L was starting to wonder as he noticed Light go into the emergency exit with a slight smirk on his face if maybe the dark one had returned.

...

Light was pleased to have avoided all the people for a little bit, so he could take a second to get a handle on his emotions as he slowly left the party venue by walking up the stairs.

Along the way, he heard that same laughter as he had back when he first got this curse, and it was slowly driving him mad, especially since his power was practically _singing_ being around so many people, as though it wanted to burst out of him and destroy them all. 

"Alright, is someone there?" He asked, turning around, feeling very tense and getting knots in his stomach as he slowly became more comfortable with the laughter—even though he knew full well that's how you die in a horror movie.

The laughter just continued, and Light growled, "I can hear you, but I won't, so unless you show yourself, I'll just say you're not a voice, just an irritating ringing in my ear." He looked around, but nobody appeared, "Well then, I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls. I've had my adventure, I don't need something new."

The laughing just continued, and he could have sworn he heard a voice say, _"Light,"_ which was frankly just straight terrifying. If this were Matsuda playing a joke on him, he would kill that man, no regrets.

He instantly felt sick with himself for thinking that. No, if they were so desperate to have him leave his room, they wouldn't scare the living daylights out of him. But this did mean there was someone he couldn't see, here on the roof with him, managing to laugh in such a way that it rang through Light's ears.

_"Take off the gloves, Light."_

Light jolted when he heard that, and he found himself leaning on the railing, able to see the whole city. If he focused enough, he thought he could see L's building.

He sighed, a shiver creeping up his spine as he looked down at the ground far below, and at his gloves. The voice wanted him to take them off. He knew it was a terrible idea, but he felt a little bit calmer now since he was alone.

He took a deep breath and removed one of the gloves, and instantly his power danced along his fingertips in tiny red lights that he quickly concealed just in case someone came up—hopefully too drunk to process there was someone else there.

And for one moment, watching as his power became beauty for a few moments as it illuminated the area around him like fireflies.

He cringed when he saw one of those small embers about to hit a plant, and he almost laughed when he was able to redirect it to instead hit the ground and have no effect.

Maybe the voice was right, perhaps he didn't have to be afraid. Or a much darker option... he shook out of his relaxed and joyful thoughts once he realized that what if the laughter was that of the Shinigami who cursed him, trying to make him love this power to kill.

Without thinking, he stood on the railing, teetering over the edge, and screamed into the air,

"What do you want?! Are you here to distract me, so I mess up?! Well, you're not going to win! I'm not going to succumb." He then cringed as he saw that plant next to him shrivel, and he sighed, taking deep breaths as he got down, "Conceal, don't feel. It's nothing, I'm just paranoid."

He then also yelped as he felt someone grab his wrist, thankfully the gloved one, but this meant the person had the other glove before Light could put it back on.

Even worse, the person grabbing him was L.

...

L had seen Light go up the stairs—and damn, that was a ton of steps, and the elevator was closed, so L had no choice but to follow him. He had heard Light seemingly talking to himself, almost as though he hearing things. 

At one point, L had lost track of Light, impressed that his friend was still fit even after having done basically nothing for a year straight.

When he finally got to the top, he saw Light looking at his hand sadly, before getting onto the railing and screaming at someone.

Was Light insane?! Not only did he hear voices, but he was also standing on the railing, which could easily make him plummet to his death!

A thought that hadn't even crossed his mind before became apparent in his mind.

What if Light knew that fall could kill him, and that was the point? What if he was... L shook himself, not wanting that to be true.

Thankfully, Light got down on his own, and as L ran over, he heard Light mutter, "Conceal, don't feel," right as L grabbed him.

He saw a look of pure terror cross Light's face as L tightened his grip since they were too close to the edge, if he even tried letting go, it could send Light accidentally tumbling off the railing.

He pulled Light down the stairs, releasing his grip a little, and saw Light was reaching for the glove more than anything. Was the glove leverage somehow? 

"L, I'm sorry if I freaked you out," Light said, "I don't know what came over me, just let go."

"No, Light, I've been watching you all night, and you need help—not to shut yourself away."

"L, I'm fine!" Light shouted as they got back to the party, and everyone was silent as Light finally forced himself free, "I'm going home, don't bother following me." He then realized L still had his glove and reached for it, and L recoiled,

"I'll give you the glove when you tell us what's going on with you!" L demanded, with the task force behind him, agreeing that enough was enough, and Light needed to talk to them about this.

Light looked a little betrayed when he saw Misa was also on L's side here and backed away like a cornered animal. L wondered if Light would show the fangs and claws, but instead noticed Light pulled his gloveless hand close to his chest and started walking away without a word.

"What did we ever do to you?!" Misa shouted, and Light turned back a little, still walking away,

"Enough, Misa," 

Matsuda joined in, "Yeah! Why? Why did you shut us out? Why did you shut the world out? What are you so afraid of?!"

"I _SAID_ ENOUGH!" Light whirled around, his gloveless hand thrown in front of him.

Not even L could have predicted what happened next.

Anyone who had been in the radius of the explosion that shot out of Light's hand, or got enveloped by the red lights that shot out, either dropped dead within seconds or staggered to the ground with not much of a word, seemingly just stunned. Matsuda was one of the people to get hit, but not die.

Electric fires started, and the pipes exploded, flooding the building as a storm started outside. 

L instantly realized that the notebook must have done something to Light. If Light were Kira, he wouldn't be as afraid as he clearly was right now—if he were Kira, he would be laughing as he killed them all. And that raw, naked terror in Light's eyes was nothing but genuine. 

Aizawa was not so convinced, "You really are Kira!"

"N-No..." Light backed away, "I'm sorry!" He ran out of the collapsing building, and everyone else started evacuating. But L wasn't running from the building, instead chasing after Light,

"Light!" He called, and was shocked when Light suddenly lifted off the ground and flew away.

"Ryuzaki!" He heard Light's father call, also watching Light leave, "Did you know about this?"

"No. I didn't." L growled as everything made sense, "But I'm pretty damn sure Rem did." 


	4. Starting the Journey

Light ran out of the building in a panic, as the wind picked up and rain poured down and lightning caused fires in the trees. He had no idea his curse was so strong. Yes, he had always known there was a chance constant suppression would lead to a massive release like this, but blowing up a giant hotel was more than he had anticipated. 

He could already hear the outraged people saying Kira had never really been defeated and ran for his life before the fire and pitchforks came out. 

He did not expect something to pick him up and then to take up off the ground, carrying him far away. Nor did he prepare to land somewhere in the Akaishi mountain range. The storm was getting worse by the moment, but it relaxed in the area he was in, leaving him unaware of the weather everywhere else.

He gasped when he felt something poke him, and almost shrieked when he saw another Shinigami had touched him with a Death Note, it looked to be the same notebook that cursed him.

"AH! Who are you?!"

"Huh? You still don't remember?" The Shinigami seemed frustrated, "Oh, right, you won't until you touch your original notebook."

"W-What are you talking about?" Light asked, recalling what Misa had said about remembering who he was. Did this Shinigami know something, "Who are you?"

"Well, I am Ryuk. As for what I'm talking about," Ryuk laughed, proving himself to be that voice Light had been hearing, "It won't be interesting unless you find out on your own. But I had to make sure you didn't die before things became fun."

Light backed away from Ryuk, knowing there was a pretty good chance the Shinigami was the root of his current problem. Then he sighed, looking at his gloveless hand. The wind was howling like the swirling storm inside the pained young man. He scoffed,

"Don't let them in, don't let them see," he said this mockingly, all the things Rem had told him, and he had made himself believe, "Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. Well, now they know, and I'm probably a monster to everyone." He threw the other glove off. It was only a matter of time before the task force found and killed him. And L's reputation would be severely damaged since he'd had a killer living with him and didn't get the hint.

He remembered that moment of relaxation and joy on the roof when he had been able to control his power. Just to test it, since he was alone and living on borrowed time, he opened his palm, and tiny red lights came out of his hand in a little puff. He found himself mesmerized by the beauty of it.

Then he realized he wasn't a danger to anyone up here in the mountains. If he stayed up here, he could live in peace without needing to be afraid of his power, and just kill some animals for food and to appease his curse's bloodlust.

He started walking up the mountain with a little skip in his step. He felt a bit disturbed that he didn't feel much in the way of anything about killing the people at the party, but he was relieved to know that he and everyone else was safe if he stayed up here alone.

While still afraid of the death aspect of his powers, he did find joy looking at the red lights as they blew away in the wind.

He walked until he found an abandoned temple of the sort and ran in there to hide from the storm and saw the little red lights already making things kind of homey.

Light turned to Ryuk, "I thought I could just kill."

"Yes, but as the vessel, your powers also don't want you dying." 

"Say, Ryuk, why would a Shinigami curse a human to have these powers? Wouldn't this make a human more of a god of death than an actual Shinigami?"

"I suppose you're right there. But its also amusing to see what humans do when there's someone better than them." This caused a slight smirk on Light's face as he decided to take this chance to learn more about his powers,

"Say... am I able to kill from a distance, like a Death Note? I know I can kill through television. But do I always need to be looking directly at someone?"

"With enough practice, you could kill from a distance, with the face only imagined in your head. Your hands are the go-to, but you could kill people from a distance with no more than a thought. To put it simply, you're like a human Death Note."

Light looked down at his hands in amazement, discarding his suit jacket, leaving him in a white button-up shirt partially opened, and brown pants.

This astounding ability was more than he had imagined. If he wanted to, he could become Kira, and the Shinigami eyes would make things so much easier. But another part of him wouldn't dream of killing people...

Even if he had to admit Kira's ideals were alarmingly close to his own.

OoOoO

The task force was in L's tower, watching a painful yet fascinating sight.

Matsuda had been hit by Light's blast, and now he was out-cold—pun not intended. A streak of his black hair had turned starlit white, and nothing could wake him up. What was worst, his skin was freezing, and nothing they were doing could warm him up.

L was listening to Rem explain what had happened to Light and tried to imagine what Light had been feeling, shutting himself in his room and trying to suppress a power he had never wanted.

Soichiro nodded somberly from where he was trying to do anything he could to get Matsuda warmed-up, "I've believed for a long time that the power to kill is a curse, and now my son is suffering from that firsthand."

"Wait," Aizawa turned to L, "So you spend months convinced Light is Kira, but now that we have proof he can kill anyone and is basically a living Death Note, you no longer believe he's Kira."

"Yes, I'm glad you're following along."

"And we're taking a Shinigami's word for it that Light only got this ability in the last year?!"

"Even if Rem hadn't said anything," L replied, "I could have deduced it happened in the last year. Didn't you notice that terror in his eyes? Last time I saw fear like that from Light was the false execution. And if we hadn't confronted him, he would have left without much fuss."

"Is there a way to break the curse?" Mogi asked Rem, who sighed, 

"None that I know of, but I do know the cure for the plague Light unintentionally unleashed—an act of true love." Everyone looked to Matsuda, who was, unfortunately, a bachelor and therefore was safe to say done for. When Rem noticed this, she clarified, "That boy is very fortunate. He will not perish."

"Then explain his condition," L demanded in his usual monotone voice, "Because from where I stand, he is not far off from freezing to death."

"Yes, and if he had been struck in the heart, he would have turned to ice by now. But it only grazed his head, killing the melanin it came in contact with, almost like what a human would refer to as a scar. He will live, but I do not know when he will wake up. Just do your best to keep him warm."

Misa spoke up, "Well, I'm obviously Light's true love! Maybe that's what he needs to break the curse too. L, do you wanna come with me?"

"Yeah. But first, we need to pinpoint where Light is."

Mogi pulled up some news networks, "Matsuda's not the only one to suffer from something like this. It looked like there were over a hundred original cases of being struck in the heart and the victim turning to ice, and it's spreading globally, with eight cases in America already."

"How is that possible?" L asked, "Unless those little lights are the cause and they're being carried in the wind."

"Most likely, since the storm is getting worse. That too had already caused countless deaths," Aizawa added on from his own computer, "And it's a worldwide storm. Light has become much more powerful than just one notebook."

"I was afraid this would happen," Rem said, "I've told him more than once that fear would be his enemy, so I'm hoping he won't be scared. Otherwise, we're done for."

"Could he be doing this intentionally?" Mogi asked, "Could this power corrupt him like the Death Note did to Higuchi."

"It is possible he is doing this intentionally," Rem replied, "However, having spent the last year with Light, I think it's more likely he doesn't even know his power has spread around the world. If he is calm when he learns of this, he might be able to end the storm. But we must hurry. It won't be long before new organizations form to find and kill Light, or the Kira worshippers might think him their Messiah and force him to continue Kira's reign."

"Neither of those options is good," L muttered, "And we know already that the entire task force going to find him may not be the best idea. And we still need someone to keep an eye on Matsuda to make sure he doesn't freeze or cook," He gestured to where Matsuda was curled up next to an electric fireplace, wrapped in five electric blankets at the highest setting, and still he was dangerously cold.

Misa stood up, "I'm already going to find Light, and you can't stop me." 

"I'm going as well," Rem said, "The roads and paths are flooded, and it is too dangerous to use aircraft to travel, you will need a Shinigami's help."

Soichiro stood up, "I'm going too—"

"No." L said, "I need you to stay here and take care of Matsuda. I know he's your son, but that is exactly the reason you can't go. It might freak him out if he's wondering whether you are a police officer or his father."

"And you're any better?" Aizawa snapped. L sighed,

"Even if he never came out, he still stayed in this building with me. Perhaps it was because he didn't need to pay rent or get a job, but... Besides, I know Light really well, so I might be able to..."

Mogi had apparently left at some point, and came in with more blankets for Matsuda, "Ryuzaki, you shouldn't be putting yourself in direct danger."

"I know. But we need to find Light, and of all of us, I'm probably the least likely to be considered a threat. Sure, I'm smart, but you all have weapons, and he knows that." He looked at the screen, "Alright, so looking at this, I would say he's in the Akaishi mountain range somewhere."

"L, why are you really so determined to go in person?" Soichiro asked, and L held up his phone,

"Because I got a call about an hour ago from Wammy's House that two of my potential successors heard about what happened and have decided I've gone soft, and are now forming their own groups to find Light. This is going to make the storm worse if it scares or angers Light, so I also need to warn him about that." He stood up, "Nobody is talking me out of this." 

He walked out of the room and down three floors to Light's room, deciding to investigate in there. It didn't take him long to find a diary of the sort. That right there had a 98% chance of giving him all the answers he needed, but it still felt like a violation to read.

But then he remembered he was the same guy who put security cameras in the bathrooms. This was nothing compared to that.

He opened the diary and noticed it was mostly keeping track of his progress with his powers, which he found fascinating. Some days stood out more than others, and the most essential details were that it seemed Light was affected by the thirteen-day rule as well since he complained about feeling pain if he didn't kill people for a few days. He also saw that Light really had wanted to come out, but didn't want to risk hurting anyone.

This confirmed that L wanted to go himself to find Light. In the self-help books he had read about friendship, you did need to prove your friendship. Maybe he was thinking on the extreme, but he saw little problem in the idea of going after Light himself. And he was still angry about his successors deciding to take matters into their own hands within three seconds of everything going to hell. Couldn't they have waited like a week?

But he supposed he should bundle up if he planned to go into this storm.

He went into Light's closet, putting on some warmer pants, a black winter coat, dark blue raincoat over it, brown boots, turquoise gloves, and a pink beanie. He didn't know why Light had that last one, but L wasn't going to complain since he was the one in need of warm clothes.

He left Light's room, and Misa gave him an odd look, "Why are you wearing my beanie? I've been looking for that."

"It was in Light's room. Sorry."

"It's fine. You actually look kinda cute in it. Rem's on the roof waiting for us. She said she can get us to the mountains, but we might have to travel some of the ways on foot."

"That's not pleasant," L muttered, having hoped that Rem could just carry them straight to Light, and then they could all fly back with Light, and the trip would take a day tops, "Well, better get started then." 

He took the elevator to the roof and saw Soichiro had packed him a backpack with food, camping, and hiking equipment.

"Bring Light home, Ryuzaki." L nodded and clung to Rem's back as the Shinigami took off in the direction of the mountains.


	5. Searching

When Near and Mello had heard about L's housemate having Kira's powers and setting off an eternal storm, both decided to put an end to Kira once and for all. But they couldn't agree for the life of them, so Mello took Matt one way, and Near went to America by jet and founded the SPK. It had been a perilous flight, but he'd managed to get there, and now that he'd organized a team, they had to somehow get back to Japan to find, detain, and, if necessary, kill Light Yagami.

Near had found himself a little annoyed that everyone in the SPK assumed he was a victim of this new plague due to his naturally white hair. They consistently treated him like he was made of glass and couldn't walk on his own, even though he was perfectly healthy.

He groaned as he was wrapped in another blanket, "Just because white hair is a symptom doesn't mean I'm sick, and preferably we will catch Kira before anyone else gets sick." He stood up, discarding the jacket he had been given, and walked over to the monitors. Usually, he'd just sit and let others do the work, but this had gotten annoying very fast.

"Looking at this," He said, sitting in a chair, "The source fo the red lights is still in Japan, meaning Kira is very likely still there. If we look even closer, it's coming from the Akaishi Mountain range. It seems like a good place to start."

Anthony looked down at him, "What are we going to do if we find him? He can cause storms and tear down a building with no more than a flick of his wrist."

"Yes, but looking at the footage and the fact there were some survivors," he pulled up the footage, "I'm guessing he has the same limitations as the second Kira—meaning he needs a face to kill. So hiding your faces should work just fine."

Halle nodded, "And what should we do if we find him?"

"Preferably, we can handle things peacefully at first, make him end the storm, and the plague he has unleashed. After that, blindfold him and bind him. If necessary, killing him will hopefully stop this before too many lives are lost."

OoOoO

Mello had just managed to convince the mafia to help him out since it was terrible for business if Kira caused the apocalypse. Thanks to Matt, he had been able to locate Light Yagami, and now they just had to get to and kill him. 

They were in LA, though, and it had been a hassle to get here in the first place.

"The storm's getting worse," Matt muttered, "All aircraft short of that of the government is being struck down. Poorer countries have flooded, countless dead. At this rate, California is going to sink into the ocean. Australia is already going the way of Atlantis."

"Maybe we shouldn't kill this kid," Rod Ross said to Mello, "He could be useful to the Mafia." Mello whirled around,

"You're seriously thinking about recruiting Kira?! The same guy who kills criminals? That's a terrible idea. Besides, for all we know, he's just playing around with his powers at the time. If he is just toying with what he can do, we don't have longer than a week before everything is gone. I hope this bunker is strong because if Kira is alive, the world will die!" He grabbed the Mafia leader by the collar, "We find him and finish him off."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Miller asked, and Mello gestured to a sniper rifle on the wall,

"Are any of you a good shot?"

OoOoO

Teru Mikami stood out in the rain with his fellow Kira worshippers, including a friend of his, Kiyomi Takada. It had been widely accepted among them that Light Yagami wasn't the Kira they had grown to adore. Instead, he was the Messiah sent by Kira—basically, the Jesus of the Kira religion, except these worshippers had no plans of letting their Messiah die. 

When the storm first started, Mikami had thought God must believe the world too corrupt if they celebrate his defeat. But then someone posted a video of Light Yagami's breakdown, and all the worshippers saw how scared the boy had been. Clearly, he had been gifted this power but didn't know how to use it, meaning this storm wasn't part of God's plan.

So Mikami led his fellow worshippers to find Light. They owed it to God to help his chosen one master his power and bring peace to the world. 

He looked to the Death Note that had washed up on his door during the storm. It was still in perfect condition, the small box it had been in must have at least partially protected it. This notebook must be similar to how Kira had gotten his powers, but Light Yagami was so much more. Therefore, it stood to reason in Mikami's eyes that this Death Note was not the source of Kira's power, rather a vessel for the ordinary man to use on the quest to help Light Yagami.

"Don't worry, God," Mikami promised at the foot of the mountains since he had seen the lights leaving there, "We won't fail you. If you allow it, I will help your chosen one to bring forth a better world."

OoOoO

L sighed in relief as the storm was much calmer in the mountains, only a slight rain instead of the 100 mph winds, tsunamis, hurricanes, and all sorts of crazy horrors. He didn't know how bad things had gotten if things had become worse since he started this journey, but it was worrisome regardless.

And for an unathletic person, climbing this high mountain was a pain. Misa seemed to be having equal amounts of trouble, but Rem was fine, flying just above them and distracting any wild animals who were here trying to get away from the storm.

"So, what exactly is the plan when we find Light?" Misa asked, "Do I just run up and kiss him?"

"Probably make sure he gives consent before you do that, Amane," L replied, stumbling on a rock and skinning his knee a little under his pants. He winced as he saw a tiny bit of blood leaking through his pants, but nothing too severe. He used his hiking stick to support himself as he continued up the mountain, hopefully going to find Light a little confused, but not harmed, and able to stop the storm and plague—and maybe wake up Matsuda too, that would be nice, "For the most part, the plan is to talk to him, explain the situation. Hopefully he's unaware of the storm and all the red lights that leave this place is his attempt to control his power, not knowing those lights freeze people. If he has enough control and hasn't been corrupted by his power, he will be able to end the storm."

It was strange for him, this determination in the pit of his stomach. Or maybe that was just his body protesting to carrying this backpack, which forced him to either hunch even more or to stand straight.

"Rem, is it possible for you to scout around to make sure nobody is here as well trying to find Light?" Misa asked, and Rem nodded, flying away. L took that time to down a pixie stick to give him some more energy. His watch said it was only about 15:28 (3:28), but it looked to be almost nightfall if he was relying on the sky.

He then gasped as he noticed the snowflakes starting to fall.

"Snow?" Misa asked, "It's pretty, but I thought Light's power was death, not snow."

"Well, seeing as Light can cause a worldwide storm, and has proved himself to be much more powerful than a Death Note, I wouldn't say plunging the world into an ice age is beyond the realm of possibility." L shivered, "But this does mean we have to hurry. The storm is milder here, remember, so imagine how bad it is around the world?" He was unsure if Misa comprehended how screwed the rest of the world was, but he decided to focus his energy on climbing.

Rem came back, "There's a large party of people climbing the mountain, seeming to be Kira worshippers."

"Lovely," L muttered sarcastically, before groaning, "Now we're racing not only Near and Mello, but also the Kira worshippers." He picked up the pace, feeling that Light better be grateful for all the trouble L was going through to make sure his friend didn't get killed or forced to be a homicidal maniac.

_Light, just don't be dead or crazy when I get there._


	6. Frozen Heart

It took a full two days worth of hiking to find the temple Light was staying in. But even then, it seemed they had to climb a sheer rock wall to get up. How had Light done it? Well, L supposed, that he clearly had some means of flight, so that was probably how he did it. Or Light was simply not burdened by these backpacks.

"How are we supposed to climb up?" Misa asked, "How does he expect us to come to save him if he's all the way up there?"

L turned to Misa with a look of annoyance, "Usually when someone runs into the mountains, they want to be left alone."

"That's nonsense," Misa said, "Nobody wants to be alone, especially not Light."

"Are we talking about the same Light, the one who willingly shut himself in his room for a year?" He asked, but he knew from reading Light's diary that he hadn't _wanted_ to be alone with only Rem for company, but saw it as a necessity. However, he had admitted the break from Misa had been nice.

 _What is this feeling?_ He asked himself, looking at the look of adoration on Misa's face towards Light, and how he felt almost disgusted by it, instead of his usual dull annoyance.

He then realized Misa was still rambling onto him about how she and Light were meant to be. Maybe he was so annoyed because this was all he had heard for the last two days. This was bound to get on anyone's nerves, "Misa, take this seriously, or I'll kick you."

Misa pouted, then tried to climb the rocks, and L decided to look for another way, quickly finding one on a narrow path with one side against the rocks and the other facing certain death. L ditched his backpack and decided to use that path instead. And maybe with Misa distracted, he and Light could have an actual conversation without her constant prattle stressing them both out. 

He brushed the show off his coats and walked into the temple. Little red lights were repairing the place, and it looked as though age hadn't touched it.

"Light," he called, looked around, "It's me, L." If Light really had the Shinigami eyes as Rem claimed he did, there was no point in using an alias.

"L...?" L turned and saw Light was standing at the top of some stairs directly next to another flight of them. He looked terrific, even if his outfit was only black pants, and a semi-open white shirt was a little impractical with the snow outside. Regardless, he found himself staring, but Light's words snapped him out of it, "L, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be behind your screen and sending someone else up here?"

"No, seeing as you know who I really am, I thought it appropriate that I be the one to come find you. Misa's here too, but I may have purposefully left her behind to climb some rocks." Light chuckled,

"Thanks. I'm not sure I could have handled dealing with her." Taking a deep breath, L started walking up the stairs,

"Light, I'm sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have confronted you about things so publically—but then again, I didn't take into account Matsuda's stupidity ruining everything." As he got closer, Light started backing up, something that didn't go unnoticed,

"No, no, it's okay. You don't have to apologize, it's quite unlike you and is frankly bothering me a little." He turned away with a sigh, "But you should probably go, there's no cake up here."

"And that is a real tragedy, which is why you should come back with Misa and I. Rem's acting as transport."

"L, you belong in the city, solving cases to ease your boredom." Light stated, to which L quickly retaliated,

"Yes, but so do you."

"No, L, Ryuzaki, I belong here, alone, so I can be relaxed and not risk hurting anyone. I have everything I need, so don't worry about me."

"Actually, I hate to break this to you, but—" 

Misa ran in, Rem behind her, and L groaned a little as he realized Rem had probably carried her or at least pointed out the path.

"Light! It's so great to see you, I've missed you so much!" She started running up the stairs, "You should have told me you have powers, I wouldn't be afraid—"

"Stay back, Misa..." Light was starting to go up the second flight of stairs, but L had subtly gotten up there and grabbed his hand,

"Light, now that we know your secret, we can help you. Even your Dad isn't afraid _of_ you, instead just hoping you're okay. But Light, you're in danger. While the task force agrees that you aren't Kira, the rest of the world at the very least thinks you're the new Kira. Two of my successors went rogue and probably plan to kill you!"

Light hesitated for a moment, looking to where Misa was dutifully obeying him, and L's charcoal grey eyes staring into his soul, "Well, I can handle that. But that's even more reason you should leave. Goodbye." He broke free and started walking up.

"Light, wait—" L called, but Light whirled around,

"No! You're too damn stubborn, L! Don't you get it?! I'm trying to protect you!" He then started walking away again, but L had no plans to give up, especially since the world needed the storm to stop—and L was now 98% sure Light was unaware of the damage being done by his powers.

"I'm not afraid of you, Light." He insisted, following him up the stairs, "The people who really know you trust you enough to understand you're working through this, and need to give you some space, but you also need the support of your friends and family. Isolating yourself isn't healthy—and that's coming from _me_." Light shut one of the doors in L's face, but L just threw it open, finding himself in the main room, "We can head down this mountain together, you don't have to live in fear."

Light sighed, clearly irritated, "L, please go back home. As you've said, some people would want to kill me—and I'm not an idiot, I know the Kira worshippers will try to find me too. Either way, even without my powers as a part of the picture, it's not safe for you. You mean well, I know that, but while I'm alone up here, I'm also free. Just stay away, and you'll all be safe from me."

"Actually, we're not."

"What do you mean you're not?"

L nodded to himself, "It seems I'm right in my theory that you don't know."

Light was clearly a little scared now, "What don't I know?"

"You set off an eternal storm that's quickly causing the apocalypse," L answered, "and it gets worse by the minute. And those red lights I suspect you've been playing with, they leave the mountain and spread around the world. Anyone they touch has their heart frozen, and they slowly die—or in the case of Matsuda, get hit in the head and fall borderline comatose." He saw Light's eyes widened as he looked at his hands in horror, confirming that Light hadn't known what he was doing was causing any harm, but he had been playing with the lights.

"What?"

"Light, people will understand," L assured, "as long as you stop the storm."

"B-But I don't know how!" L's eyes widened at just how terrified Light was. He knew from his time with his friend that Light Yagami _never_ stuttered, which put extra emphasis on how wrong this whole situation was.

"I'm sure Rem knows of a way, Light, you just have to trust me." But Light didn't seem to hear him, as red lights started surrounding him as he looked in the mirror,

"I'm such a fool, I can't be free."

"You don't have to be afraid. We can fix this and end the storm." Light turned sharply, and L could swear he saw tears in Light's eyes,

"L Lawliet! Please, you'll only make it worse! You're not safe here!"

L was starting to find it hard to see Light through all the red lights, and barely heard his real name be shouted, "Light, calm down—"

"I CAN'T!" Light threw his head back, and all the red lights exploded out of him, and L gasped in pain as multiple of them hit him directly in the heart. He fell to his knees...

...

Light took deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down. He couldn't believe it. He was really so powerful that he could cause the apocalypse?! Was his family even alive? But the storm wasn't bad here. So how...

He heard L gasp in pain and saw the detective on the ground, and Light released a choked scream when he saw L's lifespan had reduced to only a day. 

He ran to L's side, "L! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah...I'm fine..." L placed a hand on his heart, "I won't say that didn't hurt, though."

"I-I just struck you, I'm watching your lifespan..." he trailed off, starting to panic. He couldn't be the reason L died. Diabetes was supposed to be what did him in! "Oh no... oh no..."

"Light," L tried to get up, only to fall onto his hands and knees as he watched streaks of his hair turn white, "If you caused it, you could reverse it—"

Light suddenly grew angry and hoisted L up, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, "How do you know that?! This whole plan of yours relies on me being able to stop this storm! But what power do you have that can stop the storm—to stop _me_! I don't know how to stop it! Get that through your thick skull!"

...

L shivered, his head falling on Light's shoulder as the cold wracked his thin body even with the layers he wore, finding himself too weak to support his head. Light was so warm...

He felt himself get slapped by Light, then carried bridal style as Light screamed for someone called Ryuk, and L remembered Rem saying Ryuk was the Shinigami to curse Light.

"Light..." he felt himself get placed onto a cot next to a small fire,

"I'm not letting you die, L. There has to be something I can do."

...

Ryuk appeared, looking down at L, who was rapidly weakening.

"Well, what do you know. You already managed to take down L. How boring, I assumed it would be a game of cat and mouse."

"Ryuk, how do I reverse this?" Light asked desperately, "The storm, and L's condition." 

"You'd need more control to stop the storm," Ryuk replied, "As for L, only an act of true love can save him—if only there were somebody who loved him."

"No..." Light bent down beside L, wrapping him in some more blankets, "Just hang in there. I'll find a way." He then turned when he heard someone downstairs, and it definitely wasn't Misa and Rem,

"Go around! Surround him!" He listened to some people shout and realized L had been right about people being here to kill him. He looked to where L was shivering. He had been hit by multiple red lights, so his heart was freezing faster than average.

"I won't let them hurt you, L." He threw a hand up as a bullet was fired at him, and it ricochet off a barrier plunged into the heart of... a mafia member? Were the FBI or CIA or whatever seriously working with the mafia? It didn't matter as he displayed a cruel smirk. If they wanted Kira, they were going to get Kira, "Stay away!" He threw up more barriers, killing more people. Quickly the agents with the tinted helmets realized Light didn't need a face or name to kill them, and using bullets would only lead to more bloodshed.

"Stop..." L whispered, but nobody listened to him.

One of the agents yelled at Light as he killed more people and started developing a taste for it,

"Light Yagami! Don't be the monster they fear you are."

That snapped Light out of his rage, realized L was looking at him with a look of horror,

Then they all turned as a new man came up, looking excited,

"Don't listen to them, Light! You're our savior, and these people are getting in your way!"

Light felt himself getting increasingly stressed out as his power came to his aid and attacked multiple of the agents and mafia folks, but that man was left untouched.

...

Mello grinned as he watched Near's men fail. Perfect. Now he had his own sniper, a guy named Jose, go directly for Light's head, only to see L was also there, and that bullet would kill him too. Mello gasped and move the gun up as it fired, missing Light, but hitting the chandelier above both him and L.

...

Light gasped as he saw the chandelier go down, and, without hesitation, dove to get L out of the way as well, taking the brunt of the damage. Only half-conscious now due to a blow to the head, he tried to fight back as he was forcefully blindfolded and drugged, but then he knew no more...

...

"Light!" L got out, "Don't hurt him..." his shivering got worse as he saw even more of his hair turn white.

One of the surviving agents picked him up, before pressing a communicator, "Near, yes, we have apprehended Light Yagami and are handling any Kira worshippers who came for him. We've also located L. He seems to have been attacked. He's freezing."

He dully saw the agent nod at whatever order Near gave, and felt himself get wrapped in blankets and placed inside a government jet. Light was forced into a straightjacket and bound in chains.

A female agent got more blankets around, "Don't worry, L. We'll stop this storm and help you."

"Light..." He felt someone put a mask over his mouth, probably with some sort of sleeping gas, and he passed out.

...

Rem had taken Misa a reasonable distance from all of this, and neither were happy with what had happened.

"We have to help them!" Misa insisted, "Rem! Come on, we have to follow them!" She hopped on Rem's back, and they flew after the jet, which was flying back in the direction of Japan.


	7. Colder by the Minute

When Light woke up, he found himself unable to see or move. But he felt as though he was in a sitting position, probably chained up.

"Light Yagami? Are you awake?"

"I am now," Light snapped, trying to figure out why he couldn't see, only to realize he had a blindfold on, "Where am I? Why did you bring me here? Where is L?!"

"You are in Japan, that is all I will say." The voice replied, "As to why I brought you here, you have been convicted of being Kira. But those charges will be dropped if you end the storm."

Now that was obviously a lie. Light started to panic because he knew he was going to die here if he didn't find a way to escape.

"I don't even know how to stop the storm! Let me go! I need to save L, he's hurt!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the voice said, and Light growled, gaining a little of his fire back.

"If I really am Kira," he tried, "You should know by now that I will not hesitate to kill those who get in my way." But he did have to admit he was pretty helpless right now, being unable to see or move.

"Well it looks that you cannot kill if you can't move or see," the voice replied a little smugly,

"Just tell me if L's okay!" He asked, and there was silence.

"I'll go check on him." And then the sound of a computer turning off, and Light sighed, once again becoming frantic at the idea of being executed, and tried harder to get out.

...

"Near," Stephen said, "He's getting increasingly frantic, and the storm's getting worse."

Near played with a strand of his hair, "So his power is directly tied to his emotions—that's extremely dangerous. Maybe he'll calm down if I give him an update on L."

"Yeah, and then what?" Mello asked, having forced his way in here a couple hours prior, "If he hears that L's on the brink, he'll either snap and go full-Kira on us, or he'll just freak out even more and obliterate everything. He's already caused the death of at least half the world's population, and hearing he killed L might be the final straw before he's doing this deliberately."

"That is a good point. But I doubt lying to Kira would work. He's too clever for that."

"Well, we're screwed anyway." Mello said, walking in the direction of L's room, "Might as well give him a real update if we're just going to kill Light anyway."

Both of L's successors went down the task force building—the one surviving building since it contained weaponry that would make James Bond cry with envy and was therefore designed to handle anything. Soichiro was enraged that Light was a prisoner to be killed, and had to actually be restrained, so he didn't bust Light out.

...

L woke up and found himself wrapped in a mound of heavy blankets, all-electric, and there was a fire going. But it didn't help him, and he found it hard to move as the cold freezing his blood left him helpless.

He dully heard the door open and saw both Mello and Near come in, neither of them looking too happy at the condition of their mentor. It didn't take a genius to know L was on the brink. In a couple hours, he would die, unless they found a cure.

"Where's Light..." L asked, trying to get up, only to give up as another bought of exhaustion claimed him.

"He's in custody, but so far hasn't ended the storm." Mello replied, "But he demanded an update on you, so here we are. All that's left to do now is kill him and save the world."

L gasped and forced himself to roll out of bed, only to fall into a heap on the ground, "Really? Of all the things you two could agree on, it's that?! Not that it matters, you're no match for Light."

"No," Near replied, holding L's chin, " _You're_ no match for Light. Currently, we have not only captured Kira but have him at our mercy. And you had no idea for at least a year of what he was capable of. You've lost your touch." Near made a move to shut off the fireplace, but Mello stopped him,

"That's too far. Are you _trying_ to kill him?!"

"Maybe it's time for a new L," Near replied, turning to leave. L mustered up all his strength and tried to stop them as they went, only to fall against the door as it was locked shut.

He pounded on the door was a bit before he felt his life ebb away even more. In the mirror, he noticed his usually inky black hair was instead wholly white. He didn't have long...

...

The task force was impatiently waiting for an update—not too happy about random American agents claiming the place for themselves, with Light in chains. Matsuda had yet to wake up, but at least he was stable for the time being.

Near came in, looking just as emotionless as usual,

"L is dead." Everyone gasped when they heard that. They hadn't seen L yet but had a pretty good idea of what happened.

"What happened to him?" Mogi asked, even though they knew the answer, "Where's Mello?"

"L was killed by Kira, frozen to death," Near replied, "He said I am the new L before he perished. Mello is taking some time to get himself together. So, I charge Light Yagami with treason and sentence him to death."

...

Light was at this point in a full-blown panic attack. Nobody had told him if L was okay, and he knew he was going to die soon. Even if he was able to take countless lives, he was terrified of the idea of dying.

"Light!" Light looked around and heard a familiar voice, and winced as the blindfold was removed. It was that man, the one who called him a savior. The man bowed, "One of your worshippers hacked into the system so I can save you, Messiah. We don't have much time, so we have to run."

"Wait—who are you?"

"I am Teru Mikami, your humble servant." Light frowned when he saw a Death Note in Mikami's hand. But he didn't think much of it, deciding he didn't want to be in contact with anything else related to death. So he decided to play the role Mikami seemingly wanted him to play if only to get out of here.

"Thank you, Mikami, you have been very useful." They snuck out of the building, and Light blanched as he realized he still had no idea how to stop the storm. Very little of Japan was left, with flooding and torn down homes.

Hesitantly, he started walking forward into the hurricane.


	8. Do or Die

L wasn't sure how long he was curled in a ball, trying to preserve as much warmth as he possibly could. But he knew deep down that it was useless. Having had his winter clothes removed, leaving him in his trademark white shirt and blue jeans, with the only extra warmth being a blanket and some socks.

He needed to save Light, that was the only reason he hadn't let himself slip into oblivion and wait for the end to come. If he had to guess, he had _maybe_ an hour to live.

Maybe someone would come to help him. No... that was doubtful, assuming Near had just taken up the role of the new L and said he was dead already. But he had a little hope Mello would have a change of heart—even if neither of his successors knew a cure—but doubted it, especially since there was the possibility Mello assumed killing Light would fix everything.

He looked up when he heard the door opened, "Help..." and the door was thrown open to reveal Misa and Rem, "Misa...Rem..."

"L!" Misa ran to his side and helped him closer to the fire, "Where's Light?"

"N-Near betrayed me," L got out with all remaining energy, "He's going to execute Light..."

"Worry not," Rem assured, "Light Yagami has already escaped this place. But I'm more worried he will be killed by a Shinigami if the storm doesn't end soon. Shinigami rely on taking human lives to increase our own lifespans, so if all the humans die, soon too will the Shinigami. But the problem is that, with this curse, killing Light will not end the storm—if anything, that would make it worse."

"We need to save Light!" Misa insisted, "Come on, L!" But L found himself barely able to get up. Rem sighed, helping L up more gently and slowly leading him to the window.

"S-So can Light even s-stop..." he gestured to his heart and the frosted look his skin was getting. Rem shrugged,

"Perhaps."

L had already accepted the idea he was going to die, so he just decided to need to make sure Light got away, or at the very least prove he was still alive and Near had lied about it, even if he really did die moments after. He looked down as Rem wrapped a winter coat around him. Rem picked up both him and Misa and brought them down to the ground.

"Light!" Misa called, and L turned to Rem,

"Rem...I need to talk to the task force."

"L?!" Through the blizzard, L saw Aizawa,

"Aizawa..." he looked up at the officer, "Yeah, I'm alive." He looked at his hands as they started to freeze over, "For now. B-But we need to find Light. If Near kills him, the storm will get worse."

Aizawa pulled him inside, "Yeah, I figured. But L, you're in no condition to—"

"I've got a half-hour at most to live, and it's going to happen whether I'm inside or outside, so we need to find Light and make sure the rest of the world doesn't share my fate. W-We just n-need to," he leaned the majority of his body weight on the wall, "Get through the storm."

Aizawa chuckled a little, "Do you have a snowplow?"

"Aizawa-san, do you know me at all? Of course I have a snowplow."

...

Light forced his way through the blizzard, trying everything he could think of to make the storm stop if even to be able to see three feet in front of him, but no matter what he tried, it just got worse.

He wasn't sure what exactly he was planning to do now, even if he did get a grip on his wayward curse, but with Mikami having gotten separated from him in all the falling snow, he was lost and alone. If only Ryuk would help him out.

He heard what sounded like sirens, and he could feel his power itching it get out, even more, meaning there were people around—probably trying to kill him.

 _I can't hide this time like I hid before,_ he sighed as he realized and started to accept the cold truth. So he stood on the frozen river, _My time's running out, don't feel, don't feel._

"Fear will be your enemy and death its consequence." That's what Rem had said to him, and it was starting to truly make sense. 

_Am I a monster? Are they right—snap out of it, Light! You've started a storm, so now you gotta stop it somehow._

_Is everyone in danger as long as I'm alive?_

_No!_ He gained more determination as he remembered what Sayu had said to him years ago.

_"When I get afraid, and all hope is gone, I reach for your hand, and I go on. 'Cause someone like you, who's scared, but won't run, is standing his ground for everyone. We all need a hero, Light, like the one I found in you."_

Deep down, he had hope Sayu was okay. And she wouldn't want him giving up and deciding to accept a bullet to the head. No. He had to stay alive to see this through to the end, save the world and bring back the sun. 

_I cannot be a monster. I will not be a monster._

He remembered L, who was probably shivering somewhere. Had those agents been caring for him?

He started heading back to the task force headquarters, knowing he had to find L. And Rem was probably with L, and hopefully, she would know how to get the storm to stop, and make sure L didn't die. 

He started walking, not at all bothering by the weather, until he bumped into someone that, for a second, he thought was Misa. Then it was revealed to be a boy with a gun,

"Who are you?" Light asked, "You shouldn't be out here."

"I am a successor of L, Mello," the boy said, pointing the gun directly at Light, "You can't run from this."

Light growled, seeing his power ready to turn this boy to ice here and now, and he had to fight the urge, "I'm trying to find L."

Mello scoffed, "L? He returned from the mountains, weak and cold. It was clear that you froze his heart. We tried to save him, but it was too late. His skin was ice, his hair turned white. Much like the rest of your family and the people of the world, L is _dead_... because of you!"

"No..." Light felt his whole world crash around him, both literally and figuratively. The idea of not just L being gone, but also the rest of his family? Without any control over himself, he fell to his knees, not noticing the storm came to a halt.

What he did notice was a little black notebook sliding closer to him, and in the corner of his eye, he saw Mikami running towards him.

...

Mello wasn't particularly on board with Near's plan to tell everyone that L was dead even if he wasn't—however, killing Light Yagami was necessary. It seemed the lie about L's state had stopped the storm, so that was good. If they were lucky, killing Light would also reverse the plague infecting L.

He got ready to pull the trigger but noticed a sudden shift in Light's behavior. A little notebook touched Light's hand, and then... laughter?

Light started laughing, his eyes glowing red. But it wasn't a laugh of humor. It didn't belong outside a mental institution. Almost like he was trying not to sob, but still evil in a sense. There was no way to describe it.

It didn't take a genius to realize Light had just snapped—but the storm wasn't picking up again.

Light looked at him, gasping for air as he continued to cackle, "Oh, that damn Shinigami. When I said I wanted to be God of the New World, I didn't mean I wanted to destroy everything!" He shouted to the sky, breaking down even more, "And now there's no point in my goal because the world knows who I am and hates me," the ice started cracking under them, and Mello was more worried about _that_ than what the madman was saying. 

Was he reversing the storm and all the damage? Or had he cracked and decided to kill them both?

Hearing the sound of people shouting, Mello decided he didn't want to risk the much stronger possibility of Light having decided to kill them all personally, and fired the gun.

"NO!" 

While that was happening

The task force was driving excruciatingly slow in the snowplow, searching for Light and Misa—but primarily Light since his death would damn them all.

It wasn't long before L spotted someone who looked like Light out on the frozen river. But Misa was also closeby, and the task force was going towards her since she was the one they noticed.

Not bothering to wait for the others, L opened the emergency exit and tumbled into a pile of snow, forcing himself to get up and run, even as his legs started freezing and moving became even harder. 

At this point, his hands were frozen solid, and it hurt like a bitch. It spread up his arms as he discarded the winter coat in favor of speed. He refused to let his best friend die and take the world down with him.

Mello fired the gun, just in time for L to intercept it,

"NO!"

He froze, releasing a shockwave that caused the bullet to go into another direction, and startled Light into dropping the notebook down a crack in the ice, causing it to plunge into the icy depths. The Death Note and the memories it held within lost to the world forever.

Seconds away from dying, L released one final breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, I have two potential endings in mind: happy (ish) or tragedy. I wonder what I'll go with...


	9. True Love

When Light dropped the Death Note into the water, he instantly forgot everything about being the original Kira since Mikami was the current owner and now it was in the depths.

But he would never forget turning around and seeing his closest friend, no more than a statue made of ice.

"L!" He got up, trying to find some sort of proof this sculpture wasn't actually L... but there was no denying it was once he got a closer look, "No... please, no..."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the task force, shocked, and Mikami, confused as to why Light started crying over the detective.

Light couldn't stop himself from clinging to what was left of his best friend and crying his eyes out, pleading for a miracle.

He didn't know how long he stayed there, sobbing hysterically, but he knew nobody was going to approach him in this state, feeling as though his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He flashed back to all that time he spent with L, who had still been trying to get through to him when he had locked himself away. If he had just talked to L, they might have been able to make sure this didn't happen. But it was too late to change the past. L was gone, and so was far too much of the world.

Just the thought made his crying even stronger, gripping tighter to L, his eyes squeezed shut so he didn't notice the glow the sculpture that was once L Lawliet had taken, but then he heard something he hadn't expected to see ever again. 

"Light? Are you hugging me?" It was L's voice, but Light just chuckled, tears still falling down his cheeks,

"You're dead, L, you can't talk anymore."

"You love it."

"Huh—" He had looked up, eyes wide at what he was seeing "You're not dead!"

Sure enough, L was looking down at him, no longer made of ice. Though he was sparkling a little bit, probably from having just thawed out.

Light stood up, still shaking as he gestured to L with his hands, before quickly stuffing them in his pockets to not hurt anyone, "How are you alive?!"

"An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart," Rem explained, and Misa pouted. Light looked at L in amazement,

"An act of true love...for me?"

"No," L laughed, "I was actually sacrificing myself to save my one true love: cake. If you die and take the world with you, there will be nobody left to make cake, and that is not a world anybody wants to live—" he was cut off by a firm kiss from Light.

They all noticed the ice melting under them, and scrambled to get off the ice before it turned back into the water.

Aizawa turned to Light, "If love could unfreeze L, does that mean...?"

"Love might be able to..." Light looked down at his hands, and he noticed the snow around them was melting. Just to test it out, L kissed Light back, and slowly the snow around the world melted away, and the flooding stopped. Civilization was still in ruin, but the storm had stopped forever, and the sun was finally shining.

They broke apart, seeing Misa angrily crying that someone else had stolen Light's heart, and L smiled a little,

"I knew you could do it." He noticed Light looked... scared, "Light?" 

"I'm...cold." Light turned away from them and threw his hands out, but no red lights were shooting out, "I think..."

"Your curse is no more," Rem said happily, consoling Misa, but glad Light no longer had to suffer through this.

Light shivered, because it was still chilly outside, and he was basically shirtless, "Couldn't the curse have broken inside? Now I'm cold."

Misa walked up to Light and L, "You know what, L, since you need Light so you can live and not freeze to death, I guess I'll share him for a little bit." She was clearly in denial, but a willingness to 'share' Light was better than nothing.

L shrugged, "Come on, let's go inside. We'll start rebuilding tomorrow." But first, he walked over to where Mello was semi-conscious and helped the boy up, "Mello—"

"You're alive!" He smiled to see how relieved Mello was about that, "I was hoping killing Light would save you, but," he looked to where Light was wrapped in a blanket by Mogi, "That wasn't necessary. The storm has stopped, and you're okay."

"Yup. Now, let's go tell the SPK that I'm alive, shall we?"

OoOoO

In the next three months, the surviving 10% of humanity worked to rebuild. It was difficult, especially dealing with all the dead bodies, but slowly, they were getting there.

Since L's building had miraculously survived, it was working as a shelter for the whole 2,000 Japan survivors—Japan had obviously been hit the hardest by this since the storm originated there. And that was a travesty. 

People started calling the storm, "The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history," and mourned the countless dead.

But to save Light from the scorn of mankind, Mikami had taken the blame for being the one to curse Light—rendering Light blameless in the public's eye, at the cost of Kira becoming a despised name if his worshippers would curse an innocent to allow Kira's reign to continue.

But regardless, Light once again refused to leave his room. It was the one room in the building that nobody else shared—except L, of course, he would stay with Light.

L walked in using the spare key he had for the door, "Light, do you want to join us in starting to rebuild the school? Or if you're me, watch this unfold for the hell of it." Light didn't acknowledge L's presence, still staring blankly out the window. L knew Light was in a dark place and sat down next to him, trying to lighten the mood, "Matsuda's still quite excited about that white streak in his hair. Says it looks like a video game character." He saw his attempts weren't working, and decided to just sit quietly and show support that way.

"Every time I go outside..." Light said after a moment, "I'm reminded that I did this. I took billions of lives without even trying to—including my own mother and sister!"

L sighed, "Light, it wasn't your fault. This whole mess has been a clusterfuck, and it's not like you were trying to hurt people. Most of the surviving population understand—well, no promises about America, we're still working on getting a connection back. But...you're not going to... leave... right?"

Light was quiet for a moment, before sighing, "I wouldn't do that. Doesn't stop this whole mess from hurting."

"I'm not saying it doesn't. Just try coming out. A bakery reopened, and there's cake! I would typically be content to stay here, but all the people are here, so going out is fine."

Light looked up, nodding a little bit, "Okay. Just for a bit."

It wasn't much, but it was a start. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who were curious, the bad end would have been Light being killed while vulnerable over L's death, the storm gets exponentially worse, and mankind is annihilated, followed soon by the Shinigami since they can no longer use humans to increase their lifespans. The lone survivor being Ryuk, since he gained lifespan for every human Light killed, which goes well into the billions.


End file.
